METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING BONE DENSITY

Abstract: The integrity (density) of discrete pieces of hard tissue (bones) in a patient may be determined by either one of two methods. In a first method, an impulse of energy is introduced into the bone, such as by striking the patient's bone, and the induced vibration is sensed and analyzed in order to compute the damping factor thereof, the damping factor being directly related to the density thereof. With this method, a transducer (26) is coupled to the bone (24) and its output is amplified by an amplifier (28) before input to a computer (30) which determines the damping factor. In a second method, a continuous energy input is provided to the bone, such as by utilizing a frequency generator (36) coupled to a power amplifier (38) whose output drives a transducer (40) such as a speaker for inducing a continuous vibration in the bone. This continuous vibration is measured with a transducer (26), an amplifier (28), and a damping factor calculated with a computer (30) as in the first method.

Description: i METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING BONE DENSπΥ Background and Summary of the Invention Studies of bone strength in vitro have demonstrat¬ ed that the decrease in bone strength in both the spine and femur is directly proportional to the mineral con- 5 tent. For this reason, bone densitometry has been used extensively for the determination of bone loss in clini¬ cal diagnosis and monitoring. A variety of methods have been used, such as single and dual photon absorptiometry (SPA and DPA, respectively) and quantitative computer 10 tomography (QCT). However, these methods are time-con¬ suming, dependent upon the availability of sophisticated and expensive equipment, and thus expensive and ill-suit¬ ed for widespread implementation. Thus, there has been a long-felt need in the prior art for a simple, efficient, 15 and low cost methodology for measuring bone density as it is an effective diagnosis for the onset of osteoporosis, a debilitating disease commonly found in post-pregnancy and post-menopausal women. Treatment of osteoporosis is most effective if the disease is detected early whereupon hormonal treatment may be commenced. However, because of the increased risk of side effects, hormonal treatment is not desired to be begun until such time as the disease has been detected. Additionally, continuous measurement of bone density over time may readily disclose the effee- tiveness of treatment, leading to adjustments in the treatment protocols balanced against the attendant side affect risk. Still another medical situation in which bone integrity is important is the healing process of bone fractures. There is a phenomenon known as non-union healing in which a bone fracture fails to knit properly to thereby return the bone to its pre-fracture integrity. Obviously, x-rays may be used to follow the healing pro- cess, but this methodology is expensive and undesirable in that it repeatedly exposes a body part to x-rays. The inventor herein has previously participated in studies which noted the relationship of the vibrational response, and specifically the determination of the natural fre- quency shift and phase angle shift as being related, indirectly, to the progress of fracture healing. This previous experimental work utilized cadaver bones and its application to living patients is limited for the reasons as discussed in his previously published article. See Monitoring of Fracture Healing Bilateral and Axial Vibra¬ tion Analysis, Journal of Biomechanics. Vol. 23, No. 4, 1990. In order to solve these and other problems in the prior art, the inventor herein has succeeded in develop- ing a method and apparatus for determining bone integrity by measuring its vibrational response to a stimulus and determining therefrom its damping factor. In general, the inventor has developed two tech¬ niques for measuring the damping factor of any bone or other body hard tissue. Both techniques include the basic method of coupling a transducer to the bone, the transducer having the capability of measuring the vibra¬ tional response and producing an electrical output, and then from that electrical output determining the damping factor through a programmed electronic logic device, such as a computer. In a first implementation of this method, an impulse of energy may be applied to the bone, such as by striking it, in order to generate a vibration in the bone at its natural frequency. This vibration, and its decreasing amplitude, may then be measured and used to calculate the damping factor. In a second implementation of this same method, a continuous input of energy can be applied to the bone, such as by driving a speaker with a frequency generator and coupling the speaker to the bone, such that a continuous vibrational input may be provided at about the natural frequency of the bone. Ideally, the frequency generator is adjustable so that it may be tuned to this natural frequency. The same transducer and com¬ puter may then be used to calculate the damping factor through a different mathematical analysis which depends upon the half power bandwidth of the response and its center frequency. In proving the efficacy of the methodology dis¬ closed and claimed herein, the inventor has conducted several experiments on bones. In doing so, the inventor has discovered that the change in the mechanical proper¬ ties, such as the damping factor, is one order of magni¬ tude greater than the corresponding change in bone densi¬ ty. Thus, measurement of the damping factor is sensitive to and useful in determining bone density. Furthermore, while it is desired to locate the pick-up transducer close to the bone in order to increase the measured out¬ put and amplitude of the vibrational response to thereby minimize measurement errors, it has been found that the flesh which surrounds the bone has minimal effect in the measurement as the bone creates the dampening effect and not the flesh. Furthermore, as damping is a measure of the loss of strain energy in the stress bearing part of the bone, it is relatively insensitive to the method of support for the bone. On the other hand, other mechani¬ cal properties, such as the natural frequency utilized in the inventor's prior published article depend very much on the method of support and the surrounding flesh, and are not nearly as sensitive, which thus makes those me¬ chanical properties impractical to use in measuring and monitoring bone density levels and changes thereto over time. The inventor's approach of using the damping factor as an indicator of bone density is also intellec¬ tually satisfying in that there is a rationale for the experimentally measured variations in the damping factor. It is generally understood and believed that loss of mass, or decrease in density, of a bone is due to the loss of mineral and a resultant void nucleation that, in turn, results in stress concentration and premature facture. This void nucleation is detected by a change in the damping factor as the bone becomes more porous and "more able" to dampen vibrations induced therein. Thus, the measurement of the damping factor is seen to be a direct measurement of this void nucleation and, hence, a direct indication of the "integrity" of the bone. The inventor's techniques may be readily applied to the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. In the first instance, the density of a particular bone of a patient may be determined by measuring its damping fac¬ tor, and this particular bone's density may be determined in the same manner over time as the patient is treated, and these bone densities compared to thereby detect any changes in bone density. Obviously, a decrease in bone density in medically significant amounts would be indica¬ tive of the onset of osteoporosis. Alternately, it would be hoped that treatment, perhaps through exercise, would be helpful in increasing or at least forestalling the decrease in bone density. Thus, these techniques may be useful in measuring the effectiveness of treatments so that treatment protocols could be altered as the patient is treated over time. This methodology and use of the damping factor depends upon a relative comparison of damping factor measurements for the same bone in the same patient over time. An alternate methodology would take advantage of standardized bone density value, yet to be determined, for patients of a particular age, sex, fit- ness level, particular bone, etc. against which a partic¬ ular patient's bone density measurement may be compared in order to determine their potential for having osteopo¬ rosis. As the inventor has recently developed the pres¬ ent invention, there has not been an opportunity to de- termine these standardized values. However, it is be¬ lieved to be a straightforward matter for one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the present invention and measure a statistically significant group of individuals in order to determine these standardized values and the particular factors important in differentiating members of the group. While the principal advantages and features of the present invention have been described above, a more com¬ plete and thorough understanding of the invention may be attained by referring to the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment which follow. Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the inventor's first technique for measuring bone density utilizing an impulse of energy input to induce a vibration into the bone; Figure 2 is a graph of the harmonic response of vibrations induced in the bone through the technique shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the inventor's second technique for measuring bone density through the coupling of a continuous energy source to the bone; and Figure 4 is a graph of the vibrational response induced in the bone using the technique of Figure 3. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the inventor's first technique for measuring bone density includes the step of inducing a vibration in the bone desired to be measured, such as by striking a patient's arm 20 with a blunt in¬ strument such as a rod 22 to thereby induce vibrations in a bone 24 contained within the patient's arm. For conve¬ nience, the opposite ends of the patient's arm 20 may be supported by a pair of supports 32, 34. A transducer 26 measures the induced vibration and produces an electrical output which is amplified by an amplifier 28 and then input to a computer 30 for calculation of the damping factor. As shown in Figure 2, the vibration induced by the input of an impulse of energy into the arm 20 may have a varying amplitude or force level. The damping factor, as is well known, may be readily calculated by comparing the amplitudes of successive cycles of vibra¬ tion induced by any one of these initial force levels. As shown in Figure 2, the intensity of the blow to the arm does not affect the measurement of the damping factor as the damping factor is determined by comparing two successive peak amplitudes, regardless of the size there¬ of. Whether the initial amplitude has an intensity of a, b, or c, there is no variation in the measured damping factor. Instead, the damping factor is determined solely by the characteristics of the bone 24 in the patient's arm 20. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, an alternate tech¬ nique for measuring bone damping factor may be used. As before, the patient's arm 20 has a bone 24 therein to which is mounted a transducer 26 for converting the sensed vibrational signals to an electrical signal which is then amplified by an amplifier 28 for input to comput¬ er 30. However, the initial energy input to the patient's arm 20 is achieved by way of a frequency gener- ator 36 which produces an electrical output at a particu¬ lar frequency which is then amplified by a power amplifi¬ er 38 and fed to a second transducer 40, which may be a speaker or shaker or other such device, which is coupled to the patient's arm 20. The frequency generator 36 is then tuned to frequencies sweeping through the range of the lowest natural frequencies of the patient's bone 24 to thereby produce a continuous vibrational response therein as shown in Figure 4. A peak amplitude F c of one of the several natural harmonics induced in the patient's bone 24 is chosen for measurement of the damping factor. As is well known in the art, the damping factor is equal to the half power bandwidth Δ F, or F2 - FI, divided by the center frequency F c . FI and F2, the half power fre¬ quencies, are those frequencies at which the amplitude is .707 times the maximum amplitude. The inventor has conducted two separate experi¬ ments which have proven the efficacy of utilizing the damping factor for measuring bone density. In a first experiment, chicken femoral bones were treated with hydrochloric acid for varying lengths of time, their mass was measured, and then their damping factor was deter¬ mined using techniques similar to those disclosed herein. Their damping factors were then compared with the damping factors for untreated chicken femoral bones. There was found to be a direct correlation in the change of the damping factor with respect to the hours of acid treat¬ ment for the chicken femoral bones. This was to be ex¬ pected as the longer the bones were immersed in the acid, the greater the reduction in their mass and hence the greater the reduction in their density. Furthermore, it was determined that the change in the damping factor was nearly one order of magnitude greater than the change in the measured density of the bone. Hence, the damping factor was considered to be highly sensitive to changes in density and a good parameter for measuring density as small changes in density could be readily detected. In a second experiment, rat bones were utilized. More particularly, tibiae of two families of rats were compared, one family having undergone an extensive train- ing program, it being understood that training increases bone density which should thereby show up in a reduced damping factor. Both families included members which were relatively young as well as members which were rela¬ tively old. In comparing the bones for the younger rats, it was found that training resulted in slightly lower bone density and higher damping ratio, but these changes were not considered to be statistically significant. However, in the older rats, the average change in damping due to training was measured at about 40% while the change in density was measured at about 23%. These ex¬ perimental results prove up the beneficial results from physical exercise (training) in older individuals in maintaining the mineral content and hence density of the individual's bones. Again, the damping factor measure- ment was found to be significantly correlated to the density of the bones. There are various changes and modifications which may be made to the invention as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. However, these changes or modifications are included in the teaching of the disclo¬ sure, and it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Claims: What Is Claimed Is; 1. A method for determining the integrity of a discrete piece of hard tissue in a subject, said method comprising the steps of: inducing a vibration in said discrete piece of hard tissue; and determining the damping factor of said discrete piece of hard tissue from its measured response to said vibration, said damping factor being repre¬ sentative of the integrity of said discrete piece of hard tissue. 2. The method of Claim 1 wherein the step of determining the damping factor includes the step of mea¬ suring the response of said discrete piece of hard tissue to said induced vibration. 3. The method of Claim 2 further comprising the steps of repeating said steps at spaced time intervals in the same subject to thereby determine a plurality of damping factors and comparing said plurality of damping factors to thereby determine the change in hard tissue integrity in said subject over time. 4. The method of Claim 3 wherein the hard tissue is a bone, the integrity is the density of the bone, and further comprising the steps of diagnosing the onset of osteoporosis based upon the change in bone density over time. 5. The method of Claim 3 wherein the hard tissue is bone, the integrity is the continuity of the bone, and further comprising the step of diagnosing non-union heal¬ ing of the bone. 6. The method of Claim 2 further comprising the step of comparing said damping factor with a standard damping factor to thereby determine the relative hard tissue integrity. 7. The method of Claim 6 wherein the hard tissue is bone, the integrity is the density of the bone, and further comprising the step of diagnosing the onset of osteoporosis based upon the relative bone density. 8. The method of Claim 7 wherein the hard tissue is bone, the integrity is the continuity of the bone, and further comprising the step of diagnosing non-union heal¬ ing of the bone. 9. The method of Claim 2 wherein the step of determining the damping factor includes the steps of determining the natural frequency of said response and comparing the amplitudes of successive cycles of said natural frequency to thereby determine the damping fac¬ tor. 10. The method of Claim 2 wherein the step of determining the damping factor includes the steps of determining the natural frequency of said response, de¬ termining the half power bandwidth of said response at said natural frequency, and comparing the half power bandwidth with the natural frequency to thereby determine the damping factor. 11. The method of Claim 2 wherein the step of inducing a vibration includes the step of introducing an impulse of energy into said discrete piece of hard tis¬ sue. 12. The method of Claim 11 wherein the step of introducing an impulse of energy includes the step of physically striking said discrete piece of hard tissue. 13. The method of Claim 12 wherein the step of determining the damping factor includes the steps of determining the natural frequency of said response and comparing the amplitudes of successive cycles of said natural frequency to thereby determine the damping fac¬ tor. 14. The method of Claim 13 wherein the step of measuring includes the steps of coupling a transducer means to said discrete piece of hard tissue, inputting the output of said transducer means to a computer, and wherein the step of comparing the amplitudes includes the step of using the computer to calculate said comparisons. 15. The method of Claim 2 wherein the step of inducing a vibration includes the step of continuously exciting said discrete piece of hard tissue with energy oscillating within a range substantially near the natural frequency of said discrete piece of hard tissue. 16. The method of Claim 15 wherein the step of continuously exciting said discrete piece of hard tissue includes the step of varying the frequency of said energy to thereby match said frequency to the natural frequency. 17. The method of Claim 16 wherein the step of determining the damping factor includes the steps of determining the natural frequency of said response, de¬ termining the half power bandwidth of said response at said natural frequency, and comparing the half power bandwidth with the natural frequency to thereby determine the damping factor. 18. The method of Claim 17 wherein the step of measuring includes the steps of coupling a transducer means to said discrete piece of hard tissue, inputting the output of said transducer means to a computer, and wherein the step of comparing the amplitudes includes the step of using the computer to calculate said comparisons. 19. A device for determining the integrity of a discrete piece of hard tissue in humans, said device comprising a transducer for coupling to said discrete piece of hard tissue, said transducer having means for measuring the vibrational response of said discrete piece of hard tissue, and a programmed electronic machine con¬ nected to said transducer and having means for calculat¬ ing the damping factor of said discrete piece of hard tissue from the vibrational response thereof, said damp¬ ing factor being representative of the density thereof. 20. The device of Claim 19 further comprising an amplifier connected between said transducer and said programmed electronic machine for amplifying the output of said transducer prior to its input to said programmed electronic machine. 21. The device of Claim 20 wherein said programmed electronic machine comprises a computer. 22. The device of Claim 19 further comprising means for inducing a vibration in said discrete piece of hard tissue. 23. The device of Claim 22 wherein said vibration inducing means comprises means for introducing an impulse of energy into said discrete piece of hard tissue. 24. The device of Claim 23 wherein said vibration inducing means comprises a hard object. 25. The device of Claim 22 wherein said vibration inducing means comprises means for introducing a continu¬ ous stream of energy into said discrete piece of hard tissue at substantially its own natural frequency. 26. The device of Claim 25 wherein said vibration inducing means comprises a frequency generator whose output is connected to a speaker, said speaker being coupled to said discrete piece of hard tissue. 27. The device of Claim 26 wherein said vibration inducing means further comprises an amplifier connected between said frequency generator and said speaker. 28. A method for diagnosing the onset of osteoporo¬ sis comprising the steps of: determining the density of a particular bone of a subject by determining its damping factor; repeating the step of determining the subject's bone density over time to thereby determine a plurality of bone densities; and comparing said plurality of bone densities to thereby detect a medically significant decrease in bone density over time, said decrease being indicative of osteoporosis in the absence of other medically signifi¬ cant causative factors. 29. A method for diagnosing the onset of osteoporo¬ sis comprising the steps of: determining the density of a particular bone of a subject by determining its damping factor; comparing the density with a standardized bone density for a normal subject to determine any difference; and diagnosing the onset of osteoporosis based upon whether said difference represents a medically signifi- cant difference.

Inventors: DIMAROGONAS ANDREW D, DIMAROGONAS, ANDREW, D.
Applicants: UNIV WASHINGTON, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
Application year: 1994
Main classification: A61B8
IPC codes: A61B5, A61B8, A61B9, G01N29